Iceland PM Katrín Jakobsdóttir joins thousands of women on strike against unequal pay, gender-based violence
India TV NewsThe Nordic nation of Iceland was almost completely shut on Tuesday as thousands of women went on strike to end unequal pay and gender-based violence. Tuesday's strike is considered as the biggest since Iceland's first such event on October 24, 1975, when 90% of women refused to work, clean or look after children, to voice anger at discrimination in the workplace. Speakers listed grim facts about economic inequality and sexual violence in Iceland, ending by asking, “You call that equality?” The crowd thundered back: “No!” While women in Iceland have pushed or broken the glass ceiling to top jobs — from bishop to leaders of the national wrestling association — the lowest-paying jobs, such as cleaning and child care, are still predominantly done by women. Iceland's 1975 strike inspired similar protests in other countries including Poland, where women boycotted jobs and classes in 2016 to protest a proposed abortion ban.
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Women across Iceland, including the prime minister, go on strike for equal pay and no more violence
Associated Press
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